(AP) A French bishop has been given a preliminary charge of attempting to
rape an adult man a decade ago, the Paris prosecutor’s office said
Monday. It is the latest of a growing number of accusations of
sexual abuse by clergy in France. The
Bishops’ Conference of France said the accused bishop, Georges Colomb,
contests the charge and deserves the presumption of innocence. He has
asked
the Vatican to step aside from his duties as bishop of La Rochelle and Saintes in western France to prepare his defense. French
investigative website Mediapart reported that senior figures in the
Catholic Church were aware of the accusations for years. (...)
